A SHORTER HISTORY OF ENGLAND
submitted to the arbitration of the King of France, St Louis,
the most respected public figure of the day. St Louis sum-
moned the adverse parties to Amiens: Henry attended the
court, Simon kept away.
On January 23, 1264, St Louis gave judgment in a form
called the Mise of Amiens. It refused the claim of the rebels,
supported the royal authority, and was confirmed by the
Pope.
The Battle of Lewes. Simon de Montfort, seeing that the
arbitration had gone against him, decided to break his oath and
to renew the struggle. He was a great soldier and laid his plans
excellently, sending one of his sons to oversee the defence of
the West, and another to garrison and hold the castles which
cut the roads from the north. The backing Simon had was
not only baronial; there was the considerable popular support
of the Franciscan Order conspicuous on the same side, for
everywhere the fiscal demands of the Papacy and the Crown
had caused disaffection. As is always the case in times of
strain, those who sought relief tended to centre their hopes on
a personality, and the strong personality of Simon dominated
the situation. Simon became the hero of the feudal rebellion.
But the King and his son Prince Edward had an army ready
by the spring of that same year, 1264. They captured Simon's
son (also caSed Simon) at Northampton, and by taking that
post opened the roads from the north. They came south and
took Tonbridge Castle, inarched to the Channel coast to rally
the Cinque Ports, and by Monday, May 12, were in front of
Lewes, after marching up the Vale of Glynde. Simon's main
force, containing many popular, ill-trained elements, including
the militia from London, lay upon the Downs to the west of
the town. On Tuesday, May 13, 1264, there was a negotiation
which came to nothing; on Wednesday, the i4th, the two
armies fought on the open, 'sloping down just west of and
above Lewes. Prince Edward charged upon the right (or
north) with success, but when he returned from his charge he
found that Simon's forces on the royal left (or south) had
cooped up the King and Richard of Cornwall in Lewes Castle,
and were masters of the field. The King and Prince Edward
therefore gave way. Popular opinion was too strong to allow
the monarchy to be openly superseded, but in practice the
arrangement come to, known as the Mise of Lewes, made